Some known vehicle systems include multiple vehicles connected together so that the vehicles can travel together. Such vehicle systems are referred to as consists. For example, rail vehicle consists may include two or more locomotives and one or more railcars connected together. Some of these vehicle systems can operate in a distributed power configuration. In such a configuration, the propulsion and braking of the vehicles in the system that generate propulsion are coordinated with each other. In a rail vehicle consist operating in a distributed power configuration, the acceleration and/or braking of the locomotives in the consist may be identical for all locomotives, or the changes in the acceleration and/or braking for each locomotive may be based on the acceleration and/or braking of another locomotives. For example, if a throttle of a first locomotive is increased from notch three to notch five, then the throttles of all other locomotives also may increase from notch three to notch five, or may increase by an amount that is based on the increase in the notch of the first locomotive.
Adjacent vehicles in the system can be connected by couplers. These couplers experience a variety of forces as the vehicle system travels. For example, as the vehicle system accelerates, some couplers may experience tensile forces. When the vehicle system slows, some couplers may experience compressive forces. Travel over undulating terrain also can cause the couplers to experience different forces. In relatively long vehicle systems, some vehicles may be on downward slopes while other vehicles are on upward slopes. The downward and upward slopes can create tensile and compressive forces in different couplers.
Additionally, the distribution of the vehicles that generate propulsion (e.g., locomotives) may create or increase tensile and compressive forces in different couplers. For example, some of the couplers located ahead of a locomotive may experience compressive forces while some of the couplers that trail the locomotive may experience tensile forces.
The operation of the vehicles that generate propulsion in a vehicle system in a distributed power configuration can cause several couplers in the system to be disposed between couplers experiencing compressive forces and other couplers experiencing tensile forces. These couplers that are between the compressive and tensile forces can experience increased wear-and-tear, and may be damaged, such as by breaking apart. The increased wear-and-tear and/or damage may require increased cost, downtime, and interference with scheduled travel of the vehicle system and/or other vehicle systems using the same route.